Vania went to Harvard

Sea Around Us – Indian Ocean PhD student Vania Andreoli has spent one month at the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, USA. This research visit was supported by the Jock Clough Marine Foundation Robson and Robertson Award at the University of Western Australia. Vania’s research is deepening our understanding of the role Indian Ocean fisheries play in the food and nutrient security of the region and the world. She was hosted by Prof Christopher Golden in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard University School of Public Health. Prof Golden has compiled the innovative Aquatic Foods Composition Database, which is a key data component of Vania’s PhD research. Prof Golden and his team are exploring the dynamics between aquatic food and human health.

During her PhD, Vania is mapping the flow of nutrients derived from seafood extracted by fisheries in the Indian Ocean. She will use the Aquatic Foods Composition Database, which comprises hundreds of macro- and micro-nutrients for more than 3,500 aquatic food taxa. This visit has provided Vania with a unique opportunity to gain advanced training in the application of the best tools and nutrient data currently available.

The experiences Vania gained at this world-leading institution will enhance the impact of her research and PhD. This research visit has also rekindled an earlier collaboration between Professors Zeller and Golden, which will now be deepened and expanded. As a next step, the team from Harvard University will visit Professor Zeller’s Sea Around Us – Indian Ocean initiative at UWA in September 2023.  Professor Golden will give a Public Lecture at the UWA Oceans Institute, and with his team will conduct a Master Class workshop supported by the Forrest Research Foundation on the range of possible applications of the Aquatic Foods Composition Database and the nutritional and human health implications of aquatic foods.

Published: 30 June 2023